1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the prevention of slight movement of a digital still camera when a picture is taken.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various methods have been conventionally proposed to prevent the slight movement of a still camera while a picture is taken. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 7-301840, for example, describes a method for preventing the slight movement of the camera because a user does not hold the still camera steady. A sensor for sensing the movement of the still camera and a movement correction mechanism are provided in the still camera and to correct the direction and amount of the movement of the still camera sensed by the sensor. Some devices of an optical system are moved in the reverse direction of the slight movement of the still camera, thereby allowing a light beam to reach the same position on a film or an imaging device during the exposure.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 7-28149 describes a single-lens reflex camera/in which a mirror and a shutter are driven by using respective independent drive mechanisms so as to reduce shock at the time of operation of the mirror and the shutter. In a mode for correcting the movement of the camera, driving speed of the mirror and the shutter are decreased to gain a time for attenuating vibration.
However, according to the above-mentioned conventional method, the structure of the still camera becomes complicated, resulting in increase in size and weight as well as costs of the still camera. Thus, it is unrealistic to adopt such a large-scale movement correction mechanism in the digital still camera required to be downsized, light weighted and lowered costs.